Board of Trustees Membership

Officers

As president of Stryker Digital, Robotics, and Enabling Technologies organization, Robert is responsible for leading efforts that build, maintain, and elevate surgical procedure enabling technologies, including robotics and navigation, and digital healthcare such as pre-planning, predicative analytics, and artificial intelligence. 

Robert has more than 35 years of experience in the medical device industry, spearheading orthopaedic innovations including advanced joint replacement and spinal implants, novel biomaterials, and robotics. His extensive expertise helps to ensure Stryker continues to expand the enterprise capability in all aspects of digital, robotics and enabling technologies.

Prior to his current role, Robert served in technical leadership roles for Implex Corp, Zimmer, Mako Surgical, and just prior as the Chief Technology Officer for Stryker’s Joint Replacement division. Robert has over 25 patents and speaks globally at medical education conferences. Robert received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, and masters’ degrees in both engineering management and mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).  Robert is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. 

At NJIT, Robert’s alma mater, he is Chair of the university’s Board of Trustees.  Robert is a long-time member of NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering’s Board of Visitors and a New Jersey Innovation Institute, a NJIT subsidiary, Board Member.   He regularly participates in pre-college programs and alumni events. 

Norma Clayton retired in 2017 as vice president for learning, training and development at Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems, and service provider of aftermarket support. In this capacity, she collaborated with businesses and was responsible for the design and implementation of training and development programs. She previously served as vice president of supplier management and procurement for integrated defense systems, where she was responsible for all subcontract and procurement matters. She also served as vice president and general manager of the maintenance and modification centers for integrated defense systems, in which role she had overall responsibility for the large aircraft modification center in San Antonio and tactical aircraft modification centers in Arizona and Florida. Ms. Clayton joined Boeing in 1995 as an engineer. Prior to Boeing, she served as division director of fabrication at McDonnell Douglas. She also held leadership roles in manufacturing, supply chain management, program management and plant operations at Lockheed Martin, General Electric, RCA, and General Motors. She currently serves as chair of the Board of Trustees of Tuskegee University. She received her B.S. degree in Industrial Administration from NJIT in 1981 and M.S. degree from Webster University. At NJIT, she received the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus/a Award in 2006 and the Alumni Achievement Award in 2001.

Nicholas DeNichilo is president and CEO of Mott MacDonald, North America, an engineering, management and development consultancy. He was instrumental in Hatch Mott MacDonald obtaining awards for high profile projects, including Calgary West Light Rail Transit Line, Sea-to-Sky Highway Improvement, and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The Hatch Mott MacDonald joint venture was separated into two distinct businesses in 2015. As a practicing engineer specializing in water and wastewater, Mr. DeNichilo served as project manager for several projects in New Jersey. An industry expert, he has authored and presented technical papers and hosted technical discussions at various industry events. He is a recipient of the following awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): John I. Parcel-Leif J. Sverdrup Civil Engineering Management Award in 2015, Outstanding Projects and Leaders Award (OPAL) in 2014, and Engineer of the Year Award in 1999. Other awards received include the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from NJIT in 2005, the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2020, and the George Warren Fuller Award from the New Jersey Section of the American Water Works Association in 2003. He was elected an honorary diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (Hon.D.WRE) in 2020. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Innovation Institute. Mr. DeNichilo received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1973 and M.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1978 from NJIT.

Dhiraj Shah is founder and executive chairman of Avaap. He previously served as president and chief executive officer. Avaap is an industry-focused, cross-platform management and technology consulting firm specializing in Epic, Cerner, Infor, Tableau, Workday, and other applications. The company helps clients improve system selection, implementation, deployment, and maintenance experience, and effectively manage the people side of technology change. Mr. Shah started the company in 2016. Prior to Avaap, he held several positions at Lawson Software. He was instrumental in developing Lawson’s offshore strategy by helping establish a global center of excellence in Chennai. He has served as a speaker at industry conferences including Inforum, Infor Partner Summit, INC. 500 conference, and the Kaplan Institute. He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, a global networking organization of successful entrepreneurs. He received his B.S. degree in Computer and Information Science in 2000 from the Albert Dorman Honors College at NJIT. He is a member of the Albert Dorman Honors College Board of Visitors.

Jim Stamatis is the chief executive officer of True Environmental, an environmental and engineering platform backed by Halle Capital. Before assuming his current role, Jim spent over 30 years with Louis Berger, a diversified global engineering firm with 6,000 employees. He started as a project engineer then ultimately became the CEO. Immediately prior to his role as CEO, Jim served as President of their International Division and prior to that, their U.S. Division. In 2018 he led the company’s sale to the WSP Group. The company’s portfolio included iconic landmark projects such as the World Trade Center Redevelopment, and the restorations of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Statue of Liberty. They were also contracted by FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide disaster recovery response services such as installing emergency power infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands after hurricanes Maria and Irma. Jim also played professional soccer in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the Major Indoor Soccer League(MISL), and the American Soccer League (ASL). He was an All-American soccer player at Penn State University and in 1979, was awarded the Hermann Trophy, as the nation’s top college player of the year. He participated in the qualifying games for the 1980 Olympics as a member of the U.S. soccer team. In addition to his role as Trustee of NJIT, Jim serves on Seton Hall’s School of Diplomacy Board of Advisors and on the Players Development Academy Soccer Club Board of Directors. He was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Boy Scouts of New Jersey in 2017 and received the President's Medal from the New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2019. Mr. Stamatis received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 1985.

Dennis Toft is a member and co-chair of the Environmental Department of the law firm of Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG), a full-service regional law firm with 160 attorneys and offices in New Jersey and New York. Mr. Toft provides counsel on all aspects of environmental law, including regulatory counseling, environmental due diligence, permitting, enforcement and environmental litigation, development/redevelopment and environmental insurance. He is a leading Brownfields redevelopment practitioner. He was appointed by former Governor Christine Todd Whitman to serve on the New Jersey Brownfields and Contaminated Site Remediation Task Force, a group created by state law to identify and market Brownfields sites. He was appointed chairman of the task force in 2002. He was a member of the transition team for the Environmental Protection Committee and the New Jersey Solid Waste Advisory Council. Mr. Toft regularly appears before the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, municipal land use boards, and the Office of Administrative Law, and in state and federal courts. He serves as a director of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. He received the ICON Honors Award from NJBIZ, Industry Service Award from NAIOP, Outstanding Volunteer Service Award from United Way, Silver Beaver Award from the Patriot’s Path Council, and the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award from the Boys Scouts of America. He was inducted into the Eagle Scout Hall of Fame and the NAIOP New Jersey Hall of Fame. He received his B.S. degree in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979 and J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1982.

Members

Dr. Jason Baynes is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon at Health East Medical Center. He serves as an on-field physician for several high school football teams. He previously served as a team physician for professional and collegiate sports teams. Dr. Baynes performs arthroscopies of the shoulder, knee, hip and elbow. He has presented research on the science of ligament and tendon healing in injuries to the knee and shoulder. Dr. Baynes completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and fellowship in arthroscopic and sports medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He serves as chair and secretary of the YMCA of Greater Bergen County Board of Managers. He received his B.S. degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and Doctor of Medicine degree from Yale School of Medicine. At NJIT, he is a member of the Center for Pre-College Programs Advisory Board.

Elisa Charters is principal of EAC Business International LLC, a management consulting company. Projects and services include public and private ventures, capital projects and healthcare, transportation and infrastructure, real estate, planning and land use, corporate social responsibility, M/WBE access and inclusion awareness, and women in tech. Ms. Charters was affiliated with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) for 14 years, where she served as general manager and assistant comptroller of the port commerce business. She was lead negotiator of acquisitions and operations for the WTC Redevelopment effort post-9/11, developing key strategies for the master lease agreement and relevant sub-agreements on behalf of PANYNJ. Prior to 9/11, she served as a senior financial analyst in the Real Estate Department. Ms. Charters is an advocate for Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) and community and small business development. In 2014, she co-founded Latina Surge National, an organization that educates and advocates for D&I and gender parity on executive boards in government, corporate America, and higher education. She serves as president of the Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University (LAACU) and a member of the Advisory Board of Montclair State University’s Feliciano School of Business. She received her B.S. degree in Science, Technology & Society from NJIT in 1992, M.S. degree in Environmental Science from NJIT in 1993, and Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University. She is a member of the Martin Tuchman School of Management Advisory Board and is a recipient of the 2019 College of Science and Liberal Arts Distinguished Alumnus/a Award.

Gary Dahms is president and chief executive officer of T&M Associates, a national consulting, environmental, engineering and construction management company. He is responsible for the diversification of T&M’s core services and the introduction of emerging services. He joined T&M in 1984 in the municipal practice and moved into the transportation department before being named department manager of the real estate development practice. In 2009, he was named chief operating officer and executive vice president. Mr. Dahms is a recipient of the 2020 ICON Honors Award by NJBIZ. He is vice president and a member of the Board of Trustees for HABcore, an organization that provides permanent housing and individualized support, helps homeless families with children, veterans, and individuals with special needs move through crisis to stability. Mr. Dahms received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Lafayette College.

Richard Maser is the founder of Maser Consulting, a full service engineering design and consulting company. He served as chief executive officer until January 2020 and executive chairman until February 2021. Maser Consulting was acquired by Colliers International in 2020 and was rebranded as Colliers Engineering & Design. After graduating from NJIT, he joined T&M Associates, an environmental consulting company. He joined Schoor DePalma, an engineering firm, and was later appointed partner. He started Maser Consulting in 1984. Mr. Maser serves as executive chairman of the Advisory Board for the Rutgers Center for Real Estate. He is a recipient of the following awards: ICON Honors Award in 2017 from NJBIZ, Joshua Huddy Distinguished Citizen Award in 2016 from Boy Scouts of America Monmouth Council, Clara Barton Corporate Humanitarian Award in 2014 from the American Red Cross Jersey Chapter, and the Excellence in Management Award in 2010 from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was inducted into the NAIOP New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2011. Mr. Maser received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 1973. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2014.

Diane Montalto is former president of DSA Engineering, an engineering design consultancy with experience in providing innovative multi-disciplinary engineering services. She was responsible for managing real estate development projects and supporting hospitality industry ventures. Ms. Montalto was affiliated with Par Pharmaceutical from 1999 to 2017, where she served as vice president, corporate services and facilities management, vice president, information technology and corporate services, and senior director, corporate engineering and facilities management.

Prior to Par Pharmaceutical, she served as facility engineering and maintenance manager at Anheuser-Busch and project engineer at Lederle Laboratories. She started her career as a project engineer at Maxwell House. Ms. Montalto founded Hearts for Hunger, which led to a partnership with the Center for Food Action in Englewood, New Jersey, an organization that funds food enrichment programs for North Jersey school districts. She speaks at area secondary schools to promote careers in science and technology. She received her B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from NJIT in 1982 and MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1988.

Emeriti Trustees

Stephen DePalma, Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, is former chief executive officer of Schoor DePalma. The company was founded by Howard Schoor, a civil engineer, in 1968. Mr. DePalma joined the company in 1972. Schoor DePalma was an engineering and consulting firm with locations in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The company completed high-profile projects in the public and private sectors. Clients included the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Delaware River Port Authority, and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the firm was engineer of record for 60+ local governments in New Jersey. Mr. DePalma retired as chairman and chief executive officer in 2007. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from NJIT in 1972. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2002 and the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2019.

Larry Raia currently serves as advisor to the management team of Raia Capital Management (RCM) and Raia Properties Corporation (RPC). He is a member of the Investment Committee overseeing all Raia family investments. Raia Capital Management is a real estate investment management and development firm with a diverse portfolio that includes office buildings, industrial buildings, self-storage facilities, and residential apartment communities. The company has a current portfolio of Class A apartment complexes in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, and Missouri. His father, Joseph Raia, Sr., started Raia Industries, a concrete business. Mr. Raia served as an executive officer and provided strategic leadership in the areas of sales, quality control, and engineering. He was also instrumental in the acquisition of plant sites, the construction of concrete and aggregate plants, quarry development, and site reclamation. Notable projects include roadwork on Route 80 and Route 287, the Newport Center Complex in Jersey City, Continental Airlines Arena, sections of the former Giant Stadium, and the Hartz Mountain complex in Secaucus. In 1987, the Raia brothers sold Raia Industries to Blue Circle Atlantic Corporation in 1987. They later focused on developing and investing in commercial properties and started the self-storage business. Mr. Raia is a member of the Zoning Board in the borough of Saddle River. He received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering in 1965 from NJIT and MBA degree in 1979 from Fairleigh Dickinson University. He is a member of the Newark College of Engineering Board of Visitors. Mr. Raia received the President’s Medal for Lifetime Achievement in 2011 and the Newark College of Engineering Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2000. NJIT awarded him an honorary degree in 2021.

Peter Cistaro retired as vice president, gas delivery at PSE&G in 2007. He joined the company after graduating from NJIT in 1968 and held positions of increasing responsibility in labor relations, marketing, quality assurance, and customer service. PSE&G transmits and distributes electricity to 2.2 million customers and natural gas to 1.8 million customers in New Jersey. Mr. Cistaro is a deacon in the Roman Catholic Church. Ordained in 2009, he assists at Mass, administers some sacraments, and ministers to patients in hospitals and nursing homes. At Saint Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Parsippany, he is chair of the Parish Finance Committee and is responsible for the Evangelization Ministry, Cultural Diversity Committee, and the Adult Faith Formation. He was appointed director of the permanent diaconate for the Paterson Diocese in 2014. He is a member of Martin de Porres Village and RIESE Housing Complex in Paterson. Mr. Cistaro received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from NJIT in 1968 and MBA degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University in 1980. At NJIT, he received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2012 and the Newark College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2002.

Secretary

Holly Stern

Treasurer

Catherine Brennan